Lace-fastener.



UNITED STATES Patented June 2, 1903.

FREDERICK W. LEOPOLD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LACE-FASTEN ER.

. SPECIFICATION forming parb of Letters Patent no. 730,031, dated June 2, 1903.

Application filed. March 3, 1993. 'Serial Nansen. on model.)

To 60% whom it may concern: j

Be it known that 1,.FREDERIKW. LEO- POLD, a subject of the German Emperor, and

a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a' new. and Improved Lace-Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in lace-fasteners, which may be used to advantage 011 shoes, gloves, corsets, and any other article or device which may employ a lace.

The object that I have in View is the provision of an inexpensive contrivance for easily and quickly fastening a lace or cord by simply pulling or thrusting the same into the fastener, the introduction or removal of the lace being facilitated by the peculiar form given to the hook or stud embodying the presentinvention.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the subjoined description and the novelty will be defined by the annexe d'claims.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a boot or shoe equipped with lace-fasteners contemplated by my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsecti on through a portion of the fastener on a plane above the impalingpin thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken centrally through the fastener shown by Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is another vertical section through another embodiment of the invention.

The lace-fastener of my invention is indicated in its entirety by the character A, and it consists of a stud a, a shank b, a head 0, and an impaling-pin (Z. As shown by the drawings, the stud, shank, and head are made of one piece of sheet metal, which is preferably stamped or struck up by suitable dies; but I prefer to make the impaling-pin of a separate piece of metal and to secure it firmly in place within the fastener to the shank 1) thereof.

The novelty in the present invention resides in the provision of a tapering throat disposed in alinement with the impaling-pin and at the entrance to thefa'stener, said throat being adapted to guide the lace in a path which will insure theentrance of the pin d into the lace." As shown by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the tapering throat is formed by the'provision of shoulders or lips e f, the

former "of which is in one piece with the head 0, Whilethe other shoulder is integral with the stud a. The particular method employed by me for making the throat on the fastener is not material, because I may construct the throat from a plastic composition and in the manner represented by Fig. 4, the shoulders being molded on the head and shank, respectively, of the fastener. The shoulder e is provided with two inclined faces e" 6 and in like manner the shoulder f has facesf f The faces ef converge from the head and the shank toward the plane of the impaling-pin d, while the faces 6, f diverge in opposite directions from said pin, as clearly shown by Figs. 3 and 4. The converging faces 6 f form a tapering throat or space at the entrance to the fastener, and these faces serve to properly tion into the fastener in a path which will insure the passage of the pin d into said lace. The diverging faces 6 f of the shoulders operate in a wayto direct the movement of the lace and facilitate its removal from the fastener and from the impaling-pin', the pri mary function of these diverging faces being to prevent the lace from catching in the fastener when it is desired to remove the same.

The pin (1- is arranged centrally in the open space of the fastener and its sharpened point terminates in the space between the angles or corners of the shoulders e f, said extremity of the pin lying substantially in the vertical plane of the most. contracted portion of the space between the beveled shoulders or lips e f. Y

I prefer to make the fastener with the stud a for easy and rapid application to articles such as boots or shoes, gloves, corsets, and

other articles of wearing apparel; but it is evi-.

dent that the fastener may be made in any suitable way which will provide for its ready application to an article of wearing-apparel or the like.

The shape of the fastener is not material nor the material from which it is made, and

and accurately direct the lace on its introduc- I also reserve the right to make the device in various sizes and styles and to use it on any article having its parts united by or provided with a lace.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A lace-fastener comprising a body provided with a normally open tapering throat in an open side thereof, and an impaling-pin projecting from the body into the space of said throat.

2. A lace-fastener comprising a body having, within the open side thereof, opposing beveled shoulders forming a normally open tapering throat, and an impaling-pin project ing from the body and entering the space of the throat.

A lace-fastener comprising a body having an open side, opposing shoulders disposed in said open side of the body and each having two beveled faces disposed opposite to like faces of the companion shoulder and forming between themselves a double-tapered guide throat or passage, and an impaling-pin projecting from the body into the throat or passage.

4. A lace-fastener comprising a body provided with opposing beveled shoulders normally separated and forming atapering guide throat or passage for a lace, and an impalingpin lying in the plane of said throat or passage and in the path of a lace introduced therein.

It testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK \V. LEOPOLD.

\Vitnesses:

JNo. M. BITTER, H. T. BERNHARD. 

